The Plague
by nelliizm
Summary: Sequel to Death of a Virus. "The local Nin will need to be organised and placed into strategic teams, I trust your judgement for this as you have seen them in battle yourself. Use that knowledge of yours to execute perfect teams for the missions available. Never judge a mission by what is written. Investigate as always. If you need anymore help, Matsuri will assist you."
1. Times Change

**AN: This is a sequel to Death of a Virus, you will need to read this before you try to read this story :) I'm just seeing how it goes at the moment, so feel free to let me know your thoughts, if you like it or if you don't. Cheers!**

Two weeks.

Two weeks was all it took before Ino was crawling back into Neji's lap.

Her sadness had taken a toll on her mental stability. She needed the company of someone, the company of _Gaara;_ but she couldn't have it. Ino let her instability get the better of her and resorted to sleeping with men in hopes that her emotional state would come to an end.

She was wrong; all it did was make her feel worse.

It was moments like these Neji took full advantage of. He didn't want a relationship with anyone but he also had needs, needs that only the company of woman could fulfil. He and Ino had history; nothing fantastic but it seemed to be a relationship of convenience. He thought that was all going to change, seeing the affection she showed to the Kazekage only weeks before; but he was wrong.

It only took two weeks before they were both in bed together, bodies tossing and turning, heat rising in the rooms as their breathes mixed together. She obviously didn't care for Gaara as much as he thought she did.

Ino sat up from the bed, ignoring the smell of their love making in the air and pulled her clothes back on. She pulled a dark blue hoodie over her head before looking back to Neji as he lay just staring at the ceiling. With his chest bare, she could see it rising as he took small shallow breaths.

Tucking her now short locks behind her ears Ino couldn't help but be grateful how private Neji was. She couldn't bare the thought of Sakura finding out that she was sleeping with him again because she was trying to suppress her feelings...

"I'm going on a mission in a few days," Neji spoke quietly. Ino jumped slightly, not expecting him to say anything. "I'll be gone for a week."

"Oh," Ino mumbled to herself, not sure why he was telling her this. She felt a small tug in her chest, the fear of being alone for the next week or so starting to surface.

He sat up. "You will be okay, wont you?"

She nodded immediately, putting on a brave face before snickering, "Of course I'll be fine."

"You do not need to pretend with me, Yamanaka. I know a lonely soul when I see one."

Ino scoffed, putting on her shoes before opening the door to the Hyuuga compound. "You really know how to romance a lady don't you?"

"I'll call you before I leave."

Ino slammed the door.

0o0o0o0o

 _The council members need to be kept in check. Do not be afraid to speak up. They will try to shut down any ideas that don't give them a significant amount of money in their bank accounts. They say they care about the people of Suna but that judgement is clouded by greed._

 _The infirmary is always needing funding. Question it. Always._

 _The local Nin will need to be organised and placed into strategic teams, I trust your judgement for this as you have seen them in battle yourself. Use that knowledge of yours to execute perfect teams for the missions available._

 _Never judge a mission by what is written. Investigate as always._

 _If you need anymore help, Matsuri will assist you._

 _Love, Gaara._

Temari sighed at the note her brother had left her. She wasn't cut out to be a Kage, her priorities were different. She wanted to work on the field, finish a mission then go home and potentially write a letter to Shikamaru; not sign wavers to approve funding for companies she didn't even know existed.

The only thing Temari wanted to know was where her brother had gone. She knew he was feeling upset after Ino had left, but he didn't seem to confide in her or anyone else about his feelings. It was all new to him, this feeling of caring for someone other than himself. Temari struggled to get him to realise that he could trust her, that she cared about him in a way no one else could; but with Ino, that was another different kind of affection that he no doubt couldn't properly comprehend.

Gaara wasn't sleeping at all. It was normal for him to go a 3 or four days without sleep, but Temari noticed he had been in his office for at least 10 days. Who knows what 10 days without sleep would do to him.

"Miss Temari," there was a knock at the door. A familiar brunette peeked her head into the Kage's office.

"Matsuri, what can I do for you?"

She held out a scroll for Temari. With a nervous hand she accepted the scroll and read the contents. Her eyes widened in shock; she read it again to make sure she knew what she was looking at.

"Is everything alright, Miss?"

Temari rolled up the scroll and placed it in her hip holster. "Matsuri, assemble the most skilled nin in Suna. Make sure they're ready to depart today. I need to speak to the council."

"Of course," she bowed, leaving the office quickly.

Pulling her robe over her shoulders, Temari moved quickly to the council office. If this letter from Naruto was true, she needed to make sure Suna was protected and she needed to make sure now.

Why did Gaara have to leave at this crucial moment?

O0o0o0o0o

"What's the mission?" Ino asked Neji as he sat himself down at the table.

She placed a small cup of tea before him before taking a seat opposite him.

"We haven't been briefed on what the risk of the mission is. All I know is that Lee, TenTen and myself have been asked to go to Tonika Village immediately."

"It must be pretty serious if they wont tell you what it is," she said under her breath. "And you'll be gone for a week?"

Neji nodded.

There it was again, that pang in her chest. It had only been two days since she had seen Neji and even then it felt like too long. Ino needed to be near someone, she needed to feel _wanted._ Being with Neji made her feel that way, even though she was suppressing other feelings.

Sipping his tea he watched through his pupil-less eyes as Ino's chakra changed dramatically. She wasn't showing it in her face, she was stoic as per usual; her chakra always said otherwise. "You'll manage."

Slumping in her chair she sighed. "Yeah."

Standing up, Neji placed his cup on the kitchen bench, Ino watched him carefully. He smiled a little at her his bangs framing his face. "We'll celebrate the victory when I come back."

With the slamming of the door behind him all Ino could feel was her cheeks going rosy. "Damn Hyuuga's."


	2. Unknown Feelings

It was an early morning in Konoha. The birds were chirping and flying past the little flower shop that sat on the outskirts of the Konoha shopping district. Ino pulled together roses, petunias and other plants; making them into small bouquets before placing them in the open rack outside for sale.

Adjusting some of the leaves in the other bouquets, Ino still couldn't smile. Seeing the couples that would come into the store, the looks on their faces of pure happiness; it made her incredibly jealous. It was only 3 weeks ago she felt like that, she was with someone that she loved and yet now, Ino didn't know if she was ever going to see him again.

Dusting off her hands onto her apron, Ino wondered what time Neji was going to be back from his mission. He was a good distraction for her, and she knew he didn't mind either; they both had an unspoken agreement.

"Sweetie,"

Looking over her shoulder Ino gave a small smile to her father. Over the years he had begun to let himself go. He was no longer needed when it came to protecting Konoha, so when he had the chance to work at the flower shop full time he really meant spending all of his time there.

"You were sleeping out the back again, weren't you?" Ino giggled.

He stretched his arms above his head, his shirt riding up showing is pop belly. Ino cringed. "I would have slept longer if you didn't wake me up. Why are you here this early anyway?"

Ino removed the hair tie from her short hair, it barely fell above her shoulders. "I had nothing better to do, besides everyone is busy working, I guessed I should do the same."

Inoichi nodded. "I suppose this is a bad time to tell you some of your friends came back last night."

Ino felt her brows furrow. "Which friends exactly?"

"Team Guy."

It took only seconds for Ino to remove her apron; she was out the door faster than the speed of light.

O0o0o0oo0

"Temari, do you understand the seriousness of the situation? We've had to pull back three teams from Tonika. There are now fears they may have been affected."

Temari nodded at the council member, trying to hide her frustration.

"We cannot continue to help the Leaf Village, we are wasting valuable resources and potentially losing qualified and skilled nin!"

"Where are they now?" Temari asked, rubbing her forehead.

Kankuro placed a hand on his sisters shoulder as he glared at the surrounding council members. "Still in quarantine. We had to be sure."

 _Gaara, I know this is short notice but I need your help again. There is a village bordering the land of fire, Tonika Village. Scouts have reported strange sightings. Civilians vomiting blood, bodies lying in the streets. We're not sure if it is some kind of massacre of if it is some kind of plague. I'm sending a team to investigate, but I would like your help as well. You have medic nin that saw what the disease had done to Ino, and we also have nin that have seen the disease. We need reports, we need to know what we are up against. Please, as your friend, I'm asking for your help. Naruto._

Where the hell was Gaara? This wasn't something Temari was qualified for. She was only hoping he would be gone for a few days, all she would have needed to do was sign a few papers. But a plague? A potential plague? She didn't sign up to this, she didn't know what she was supposed to do. Why did her brother put some much blind faith into her?

The last thing Temari expected this morning was to see Matsuri in her office only after 3 days. Her cheeks were flushed, her chest rising rapidly like she had been running for her life. The look in her eyes told Temari everything she needed to know. There was no massacre at Tonika.

"Its everywhere," Matsuri said between breaths her eyes sick with worry. "Children, adults. They all have it."

"Matsuri, did you come into contact with it at all?" she responded with a nod. Temari slammed her fist on the desk. "Dammit! You and your team, to the hospital now! You need to be quarantined!"

It wasn't long before the nin were being medically examined. The hospital still had some viles Sakura had left behind for the treatment of Ino, so they did their best to recreate the solution. Temari had gathered another team, but this time she made sure they knew what they were getting themselves into.

"You are not to come into contact with civilians. If you do you must be wearing a haz suit. You are there to contain the outbreak, nothing more. Do you understand?"

"Yes Kazekage!" They said simultaneously.

It wasn't long after that she was called into a council meeting.

There was so much going on in Temari's head she constantly questioned whether she was making the right decisions or not. Was Naruto sending a team to help contain the virus too? Surely he couldn't be relying on Suna to everything for him, right?

Gaara trusted him, so Temari had to as well.

Where was he?

O0o0o0o0o0o

 _Bang. Bang. Bang_.

Ino ran as quickly as she could to the Hyuuga compound. She jumped the large fence bordering the area before sneaking around the corner until she found where Neji stayed. Why was he back a day early? He would normally call when he would return from anything. Ino couldn't help but feel a pang of worry in her chest. She banged on the door again.

The door slowly creaked open, the morning sun shining into the dark room. The pale colour of Neji's eyes lit up as the sun hit them, and Ino felt a sense of relief. _He was alive._ She watched carefully as he opened the door some more, the cursed mark on his head visible, framed by his dark hair that hung loosely around his face.

"You came back last night?" She whispered, a worrying look on her face as she made sure no one could see her.

Neji pulled her inside, her shoulders slightly grazing across his bare chest. He took one last look outside before shutting the door.

"Why didn't you tell me? You said you would call." Ino gruffed lightly.

"Plans changed," Neji said quietly as he threw on a loose t-shirt.

Ino frowned. She had been waiting the last week to see this guy, he said he was going to call her and the only excuse he could come up with was that plans had changed? Ino wasn't sure if she was disappointed in Neji, or if she was disappointed in herself. Did she really just run to his compound to see him? Did she forget her job, leave her father behind just to see _him?_ No. Ino was lonely, she knew that. All she wanted to do was be held and comforted, to feel like she wasn't the only lonely person in this world, right?

"Well, what happened?" She asked curiously, crossing her arms over her chest.

Neji raked a hand through his long hair. It had been a long week, the mission didn't go as planned; they didn't know what they were getting themselves into until they saw the Suna nin. Blood. There was so much blood.

"Just be thankful the majority of the leaf village has been immunised," he said under his breath.

Ino flinched.

As usual, Neji watched as her chakra went crazy with emotion. He didn't even need to ask how she was feeling; he could see it. Worry, fear, sadness.

She looked to the ground. "Is it what I think you're saying?"

"Yes."

Ino was far more emotional than she gave off. She tried to pretend she was strong; and she was, just not in the way Neji knew her. She needed to be cared for, to have someone near her all the time. He watched as she pulled her arms to her chest, her eyes wide with concern. With a deep breath she walked to the door.

Neji grabbed her arm. "Where are you going?"

"I don't know, anywhere. I need to think about this. I need to help."

"No you don't," Neji said quietly.

He pulled her close to him, his hands running through her short blonde locks. Ino couldn't help but keep her eyes closed as his finger tips worked magic on her scalp. She felt her back hit the door as Neji took the opportunity to pull her legs around his waist. He watched Ino as her cheeks flushed a slight shade of red, her blue eyes avoiding direct eye contact with him. He smiled to himself before lifting her chin, softly pressing his lips against hers. Ino couldn't help but melt in his embrace.


	3. A New Home

Over thinking was something that was came naturally to Gaara. As he got older he found himself thinking more about what people would think about him. What kind of leader did his people think he was? What kind of brother did his siblings see him as? What kind of man did Ino see him as?

Snapping himself out of his thoughts he let his green eyes look over the village before him. Small houses with one or two shops, a school and a gym; a population of maybe 250 people. There was nothing stunning you could say about this village, it was simple.

It was perfect.

When Ino left it created a hole in Gaara's chest; a wanting and a need to be in her company, to feel her around again. The feeling was something he had never experienced before, this tight string of emotional discomfort; he missed her. After that he struggled with his duties as Kazekage. He was easily distracted when it came to important documents, his mind constantly drifting to Ino; how she looked, how she felt, how she smelt. It was starting to become a burden on him. It had only been a week and yet he was at least a month behind on his work.

That's when Gaara decided he needed to leave.

Fresh air and nature was what he needed. A nice break away from all of the stresses of his life. It wasn't like him to run away from his problems, but this time Gaara needed a clean slate.

Leaving his robes in his (boring) apartment, he scribbled a quick note to Temari. With each stroke of his pen Gaara hoped that she would understand; after all, she was his sister. The sister that cared about him more than anything. Within seconds he had his gourd and was outside the village walls.

That was when he came across this small village. It was a place where no one knew him, in a land where no one cared if he was the Kazekage or not. A small farming village. It was going to be cleansing.

Walking towards the village he could see the children playing at the school and nearby people were tending to the crops on their small farms. As Gaara got closer, the people started to notice him. With each step he took another person stopped what they were doing and stared at him. Cautiously he made his way past everyone, trying to ignore their suspicious stares.

"It's not often we have visitors," A voice broke the silence. Gaara stood still, his gourd resting comfortably on his back. From the small crowd of people emerged a young lady; her hair was as black as the night, but her eyes shone like a full moon. She was wearing what looked like some variant of an official nin outfit. "What do you want with us?"

Her tone was strong, almost like she was expecting some kind of attack. Gaara looked at the villagers that were slowly starting to surround him. "I'm just a visitor."

She scoffed, her hands placed on her hips while she looked at her surrounding villagers. "We don't get visitors. I'll ask one more time. What do you want with this village?"

Gaara's eyes narrowed. Who was this woman? Why was she so hostile towards him? He wasn't sure how he was supposed to react to her or what he was supposed to say. Anything he tried would no doubt send this woman into some kind rage.

"I am Gaara of the Desert, and I am a visitor."

The woman flinched a little, her pupils dialating. In her eyes Gaara could see that she recognized him in some way; her breathing quickened becoming more shallow, her fists were tense at her sides. He could see in her eyes that she knew who he was.

"Leave us," she said to the villagers.

Looking at each other the villagers mumbled a few words before dispersing; taking orders as if this woman was their leader.

Gaara, a little shocked himself, did not expect that to work. He was ready, bracing himself to what could have been a wasted fight. The woman came forward and held her hand out to him. With hesitation, Gaara accepted her hand and shook.

"My name is Ty, its nice to meet you." Gaara couldn't help but look at the woman oddly. Her eyes glimmered as she pulled her hand down to her side, smiling she sighed, "I wasn't expecting any visitors, so forgive me for being cautious. You can never be too careful out here." Gaara nodded a little. "Is there anything you want help with?"

"A room."

She tucked her dark hair behind one of her ears. "You're looking at staying? For how long?"

He grunted. "A while."

A while was the only thing he could come up with. Gaara wasn't sure if he was going to return to Suna anytime soon. He knew Temari was perfectly capable of looking after the village, she was an intelligent woman and no doubtfully would not let the council push her around.

"Okay," Ty said with a small smile. She pointed further down past the shops, a sign peeking behind with a clear sign saying Inn. "It's just over there. Give me five minutes and I'll meet you."

Gaara nodded as he made his way.

O0o0o0o0o

"What the hell? Since when do we let people stay here?"

Behind a nearby building, Ty stood with her arms folded across her chest while one of the villagers, Takei, attempted to scold her.

"We don't even know who he is," Takei growled under his breath, dirt covering his cheeks from where he had been picking crops in his field. "What if he's here to claim our village? We can't let that happen. They've already taken our children-"

"For gods sakes Takei, relax," Ty said quickly. Her tone was strong, enough to make him flinch.

It had been 4 years since Ty took over as the village leader. It wasn't by choice, but by chance. Ty's uncle used to run the village, that was of course when it was a bussling little town, people from all over the land would come and visit this place. But after the attack... Ty shook her head.

"He's not going to do anything, I know who he is. Just trust me."

His jaw clenched, Takei nodded. He wasn't happy, but who was he to judge the leader. "I'll have you know," he peered over his shoulder as he began to walk away. "If anything happens to my daughter, I will hold you personally responsible."

Ty's folded arms loosened slightly as Takei walked away. His words resonated in her head for a brief moment. Nothing was going to happen, right? Gaara could be trusted; well at least Ty thought he could. After all, this could be the chance she had been waiting for; he could be the key to helping her village.

O0o0o0o

The door to the Inn creaked as the rusted bolts moved. Gaara's green eyes looked over the dark room; a wooden reception desk was in the middle, decorated with old flowers, while a stair case curled up on either side leading to the rooms. As he stepped in, the floor boards moaned under the pressure, like they hadn't been used in years.

Closing the door behind him, Gaara managed to find a light switch. It took a moment before the bulbs came to life, flickering briefly before lighting up. Dusty framed pictures sat sadly on the reception desk. Gaara picked one up, wiping away the dust.

The picture was old, faded spots made some of the peoples faces hard to recognize; but there was one person could see. It was Ty. She was young, perhaps only 5 years old, standing next to two older men. In the background there was a village. Not just any village though, _this_ village. There were larger buildings, shops everywhere and a hell of a lot more people too.

The door creaked loudly and Gaara quickly placed the picture back down. "Sorry," Ty smiled slightly. "I'll show you a room?" He nodded. Still smiling, Ty bounced up the staircase to the left, her dark hair chasing her like a shadow. Gaara, not too far behind her, followed anxiously.

What was he doing?

What kind of Kazekage abandoned his village because he couldn't control his emotions? How could his people rely on him when he was no where to be found? Was this really all because of Ino? Gaara still couldn't completely understand the feelings he had for her; even though he knew he missed her like nothing ever before.

"Here."

Snapping from his thoughts, Gaara looked over the room before him. A large bed sat to the left of the room, in the middle there were two small couches surrounding a wooden coffee table. To the far right a kitchenette and a bathroom.

"Sorry it's not perfect, but its the best room we have here. Like I said, we don't have guests often."

The room was perfect. Gaara wasn't expecting anything high end, in fact he would have felt out of place if it was. This room reminded him so much of... Ino.

"I live downstairs," Ty tilted her head slightly towards the stairs. "I'll bring you breakfast in the morning, in the mean time if you need some dinner I'll happily fetch you some later."

"I don't eat," Gaara said softly.

With a laugh that sounded like a scoff, Ty showed herself out. "Okay, just let me know if you need anything." Gaara nodded.

It wasn't long before silence filled the room. Placing his gourd against the wall, Gaara lay on the bed. It was soft and molded to his touch, the pillows were soft and incredibly inviting. Hopefully being here he would be able to get some sleep. Suddenly all he could think about was the last night he saw Ino. That dress she wore, the silver that sparkled against her skin suited her perfectly. Her long blonde hair, oh how he wished he could feel how soft it was again; and then when they left together, back at his apartment. They were on the bed together, her body on top of his... With a groan he ran his hands through his red hair; he was supposed to be momentarily forgetting about Ino, not thinking about her!

"I guess I wont be getting any sleep tonight..."


	4. Tonika

"I've gathered you all here today because, well, you're some of the best nin we have in Konoha. As some of you know, there is a village bordering the land of fire, Tonika village. The residents have been infected with what we're calling V-X. We don't know how it reached the village, or why its infected the residents so quickly. That's why we have gathered all of you."

Naruto looked over the nin in front of him; Neji, Shikamaru, Ino, Choji, Sakura and Hinata. They were no doubt the best nin around. Sure, they had conflicting personalities, Sakura with her tendency to be bossy and Ino not falling far from that tree. Neji and Shikamaru were both reserved, not very good at talking, but amazing on the field. Choji, well... he did eat a lot, but his skills in battle were something that Naruto couldn't help but feel would be amazing in some kind of crisis. Then there was Hinata. She was sweet, beautiful and incredibly soft spoken; but even Naruto knew she was a force to be reckoned with.

Taking in a deep breath, Naruto paced in front of his nin. "We're putting Tonika village in quarantine."

"We?" Shikamaru scoffed as he remembered the last time he was sent on a quarantine mission for his Hokage. His fingers rubbed at his throbbing temple. "I'm not doing this again. Not unless you have some safety measures in it for me."

"Don't you mean _us?_ " Ino hissed from the other side of the room.

Giving his old team mate a glance, Shikamaru sighed. "Yes, Ino, I mean us."

Naruto smiled, waving his hands as if he were dismissing the negativity in the air. "Of course I have safety measures set up. The Suna nin are figuring that part out."

"Suna nin?" Choji asked between bites of his donut. "What are they doing in the land of fire?"

"I asked Gaara for help."

In a split second, Ino could feel the colour leaving her face. _Gaara._ Did Naruto really say his name? Was she going to see him again? Gulping slightly, she tried to keep her composure as she focused on what Naruto was saying. She knew it was important and she should have been listening, but she couldn't help but let her mind drift to that red hair of his, how it felt between her fingers. _So soft._

Neji spoke up. "What is it exactly you want us to do?" From the corner of his eyes, Neji could see Ino's chakra fluctuating. She was excited, relieved and there was something else there too that he couldn't recognize; something full of joy and emotion. Neji didn't know what that feeling was, but he knew it was directed towards the Kazekage. He couldn't help but feel a tightness in his chest.

"I've chosen you all because you've been immunised, especially you, Ino," She nodded a little, remembering the red growth that covered half of her face. "I don't even know if it is the same virus that infected you, but its showing similar traits. Sakura and Hinata, you both helped creating the imunisation, I want you to help the Suna nin make large quantities, we need to be prepared for anything. Neji, Shika and Choji, you're all on defence. Nothing goes in our out of Tonika without permission. Is that clear?"

Everyone nodded, except Ino. "Why am I going?"

Naruto grinned widely. The one thing he enjoyed the most about being Hokage was the fact that he was able to do whatever he wanted; within reason, of course. If there was a shinobi that managed to get on his nerves, he knew he could put them on the lowest rank mission until he was sure their punishment was enough. It also helped when he wanted to send certain kunoichis away too... "Ino, you're needed for some of the vital stages of the vaccine. Sure, we could make the vaccine from scratch, but it seems easier if we use your blood, determine what your immune system has that others do not."

"So I'm a blood bank?" Ino questioned blankly.

With a shrug Naruto laughed. "If that's what you want to be known as."

Ino didn't care, they could have all of her blood if they wanted! She was going on a mission near Suna, _Suna_ of all places! This could be her chance to see Gaara again; to spend time with him and to never let him go – ever. Little did Ino know, but from the corner of her eye Neji could see the excitement in her chakra. His heart sunk at the thought of her with the Kazekage again.

O0o0o0o0o0o

Kankuro led a team of 6 nin from Suna to Tonika village; the trip lasting only a single day. When they reached the village it was obvious that something wasn't right. Children were in the streets crying, the adults of the village unaware of what was going on; there was also blood on the streets. Kankuro didn't know where it came from, a quite frankly he didn't want to find out.

It didn't take long before they came across Ty, the village leader. Her large eyes were filled with worry as she carried a sick child in her arms. Small patches of blood were weeping from the child's ears, causing large amounts of pain and discomfort.

Kankuro immediately ordered the surviving villagers to be held in the largest building they had in Tonika. Ty informed him of the meeting hall where the elders used to converse and it wasn't long after that it became the home to over one hundred and fifty people.

The Suna nin removed beds from the houses and moved them to the hall. They picked the crops to feed the remaining villagers; most importantly, they buried the vast amount of dead that littered the streets. Suri, one of Kankuro's most trusted friends, screamed as she helped clean out the houses. She found one of the children curled up in the corner, flies hanging around his face while blood trails dried on his mouth. He was dead.

They were only two days in, people were still dying; roughly 7 a day. Kankuro couldn't help but constantly curse under his breath. Where the hell were the Konoha nin?

Where the _hell_ was Gaara?


End file.
